Results Summary for NLSI Research Program on Comparative Behavior
of Air Terminals

1. The site work was completed in early August.
About 50% of the lightning season was over by the time set-up was finished.

2. No strikes to any of the eighty air terminals
were recorded during the 1999 season. High winds, in excess of 70 mph,
were responsible for knocking down some platforms. All platforms were
re-fastened at four points, instead of the original two points.

3. A National Geographic film crew from London
UK visited the site. It will be mentioned in an upcoming program on global
weather safety.

4. Modifications to the experiment are scheduled
for next year. They include:

a. Increase air terminal tip spacing from
the present one foot to five feet by changing the mounting configuration.
b. Installing two amp fuses in place of the twenty amp fuses used in
1999.
c. Installing current measuring devices to be provided by US West.

5. A HALOS Facility Site Analysis provided
by Global Atmospherics has been posted to the NLSI WWW site. Flash density
is GAI-reported as 2-4 flashes per 3 sq. km./yr. Measurement by observation
indicates that figure is low. See GAI data at Chapter 6, NLSI Research.

Year 2001 Update at NLSI Research Project

Putting Up Aluminum Rods at the Site

Here is
the latest news at the end of the 2001 lightning season:

Several suspected strikes to rods were examined, but could not be
confirmed by an independent source. (We sent the questionable rod tips
to Charles Moore of New Mexico Tech, who is the originator of the "preferential
rod tip geometry" experiment at his Langmuir Lab NM site.)

In Sept. 2001, we changed out all 80 steel rods for aluminum rods.
Aluminum is about 25% softer than steel so these new rods have a much
better likelihood of showing clear evidence of pitting and arcing from
the effects of lightning. The new rods are at the HALOS site (about
12,000 ft. elev., and located about 7 miles N. of Nederland CO on Niwot
Ridge).